There are also several less-obvious signs of chronic inflammation. Here’s what to be aware of, symptoms they may be accompanied by, and the health conditions they might indicate.
Trouble Balancing
Changes in the way you walk or dizziness while you walk may be signs that inflammation is interfering with your nerve signals.
For example, if difficulty balancing is so severe that it consistently interferes with daily tasks, it might signal chronic inflammation. “[We’re not talking about] just standing up from sitting and you have a moment of dizziness that goes away if you hydrate, for instance,” Caricchio says. So, you should see a doctor if you regularly feel unsteady or dizzy.
Other symptoms that may accompany balance issues include persistent joint pain or swelling, a low-grade fever, rash, or mouth sores, Sizemore says. He adds that rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory nerve damage that alters your sense of positioning could be to blame. Trouble balancing could also indicate inflammation inside your ear, which is known as labyrinthitis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is another possible underlying condition, as this inflammatory disease often involves trouble staying balanced while walking.
Insulin Resistance
Insulin helps regulate blood sugar in your body. When that process doesn’t work properly, you may be left with insulin resistance or high blood sugar.
Inflammation can contribute to insulin resistance when inflammatory cytokines — chemicals the immune system sends to attack germs and other invaders — interfere with the process of insulin binding to its receptor.
Short of having bloodwork done, you may not know you’re dealing with insulin resistance. But you may notice that you’re extra thirsty or hungry, tired, peeing more than usual, losing weight, or having trouble seeing. If you have any of these symptoms or you have a family history of insulin resistance, speak with your doctor about getting blood tests to check your insulin and blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance can be linked with type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and PCOS.
Persistent Diarrhea
When chronic inflammation is in play, it can cause gastrointestinal problems beyond standard diarrhea. You may have persistent diarrhea and a need to go urgently, bleeding from the anus, or abdominal cramping.
These symptoms can indicate that you have an inflammatory bowel disease or a related condition, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or pancreatitis.
You may also get other symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, or weight loss. If you notice symptoms like those above and changes in your bowel movements that last for more than a few days without improvement, it’s time to see a doctor — ideally a gastroenterologist.
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain that’s tied to inflammation tends to start before age 35. It involves back pain that sticks around for longer than three months, with pain and stiffness being worse in the morning or after stretches or inactivity. You may also feel pain that spreads to the butt.
Bleeding Gums
Bleeding from the gums can indicate gum inflammation, or gingivitis. It can also be tied to diseases linked with chronic inflammation, like diabetes.
Bleeding gums can indicate autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren’s syndrome and lupus, too.
If your bleeding gums don’t resolve within two weeks, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your dentist. He or she can investigate whether gingivitis or another gum disease is to blame.
Blood Clotting
Inflammation can cause hypercoagulation (also known as thrombophilia), which is when your blood clots too easily.
“Over time, this environment raises the risk of both venous and arterial clots in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus,” Sizemore says.
If you have a blood clot, you may notice other symptoms depending on its location. Leg clots, for instance, might come with swelling, pain, or redness in one leg and could be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Symptoms of a lung clot, also called a pulmonary embolism, include shortness of breath, a rapid heartbeat, sharp chest pain, or coughing up blood, Sizemore says.
Blood clots that develop in your arteries can be especially dangerous, because they increase your risk of a stroke or heart attack.
Problems with blood clots aren’t always easy to spot. So take notice if you feel sudden weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, or crushing chest pain that spreads to your arm or jaw, Sizemore says. These are serious symptoms that call for an urgent trip to the emergency room for treatment.
Dry Eyes
Not having enough tears or moisture in your eyes often can bring on a stinging or burning sensation in your eyeball, and it may be a sign of chronic inflammation. You might also have eye redness, trouble wearing contacts, watery eyes, blurriness, light sensitivity, or vision fatigue.
When these symptoms become uncomfortable or disruptive to your daily routine, it’s time to visit an ophthalmologist. Dry eyes may be a sign that you’re dealing with an autoimmune and inflammatory disease like Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus.
Arteriosclerosis
This condition involves the hardening of the arteries, and having chronic inflammation increases your risk.
There are no physical signs of arteriosclerosis until it becomes problematic, causing issues such as dizziness, fatigue, and leg pain.
When you have bloodwork done, you may note high cytokines. These are molecules released by your immune system that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke.
